Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Our health service is at breaking point and if this Government does not do something very drastic very soon, it will only deteriorate further. I have been continually raising concerns regarding Letterkenny University Hospital and the seemingly continuous scaling back of essential services there. The staff at the hospital are expected to work under severe pressure constantly and it is not sustainable or acceptable. This is the main reason so many healthcare workers from Donegal are choosing to leave the county and country.

I have been informed by Letterkenny University Hospital this morning that due to the pressures on the site and the lack of bed capacity, the hospital is postponing a number of elective day cases and inpatient adult procedures. This is completely unacceptable and tells of the extremely stressful environment that workers have to endure. The INMO has reported that 64 patients were waiting on trolley beds in Letterkenny University Hospital yesterday. Some 30 patients were waiting in the emergency department and 34 were in wards elsewhere in the hospital.

Kingsbridge Private Hospital has opened a premises in Letterkenny and is providing medical treatment. Across the Border, a private hospital is expanding due to all of the patients that are being diverted from Letterkenny to private services as Letterkenny is underfunded. The problem is that as more people are diverted to private hospitals for routine operations the ability to retain and train doctors declines because they are the bread and butter operations that keep doctors in position.

Any Deputy who has properly spoken with and listened to their constituents will not be shocked at the INMO findings that 65% of nursing graduates are strongly considering emigrating. Donegal cannot afford to lose any more healthcare staff or young people. If something is not done, there will be no one left to tend to our sick in the county, and that is a very frightening thought.

I would like to take this opportunity, while addressing this issue, to urge the Government to seek a review of job upgrades for domestic and household staff at Letterkenny University Hospital, as they have been unfairly left behind in receiving pay increases, following the recent job evaluations. This Government needs to do all it can to keep the hospital staff we have and value the important work they do.

I would also like to address the lack of mental health services available in Donegal, in particular for members of the Traveller community. The statistics on Traveller men’s mental health are shocking. Last week I attended the launch of the Traveller men's health and well-being research in Letterkenny, where the results of qualitative research on Traveller men’s mental health and their challenges and experiences in Donegal was launched. The launch reminded me of the severe difficulties that the community is forced to face every day. Despite constituting less than 1% of the Irish population, Traveller males account for 10% of young male suicides and the study showed that more than half of the participants reported experiencing suicidal thoughts or attempting suicide in the past. The study detailed the negative experiences Traveller men had with their GPs and mental health services, which created a sense of distrust and discouraged them from seeking help. Many of these experiences were sadly due to bias and discrimination and the experiences were particularly negative for Travellers from the LGBTQI community.

We need to do better. The way we treat minority groups in this country is just not good enough, and I would like to echo Senator Eileen Flynn’s calls for a culturally appropriate policy on Traveller mental health. Successive Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Governments have failed the Traveller community time and time again and it is about time that important voices, such as Senator Flynn's, were listened to.

This needs to happen at a national level, but also at a community level. I would like to take this opportunity to urge the Government to invest further in community health services. It makes sense to ensure good community healthcare, not only because it would significantly benefit the community but also because it would take the pressure off the regional and national hospitals.

Killybegs Community Hospital for example, has great potential. However, the hospital is under-utilised, with a very long waiting list for long stay beds and with most departments only running a few days a week with skeleton staff. Community health services need to be prioritised and we need to ensure a better healthcare system for all who work in and use it. I support this motion put forward today by Sinn Féin, and I support the motion’s call to offer a job guarantee to healthcare graduates and its call for the Government to engage with GPs to ensure they are supported to take more pressure off hospitals and emergency departments.

However, I do not believe the motion goes far enough in addressing the needs of community health services or mental health services. We tend to prioritise other health services before we consider our mental health. It is important to remember that health, according to the World Health Organization, is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity. This is something for us all to consider in making sure we look after our health services as a whole.

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